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What NYSF means to me – NYSF Alumnus Stuart McKelvie

My National Youth Science Forum experience started a little over five years ago and continues to this day. And I feel the affect it has had on my life every day.

Attending the NYSF was a profoundly life-changing fortnight, one that I will never forget and one that I have been fortunate enough to repeat three consecutive times as a student staff leader, as well as internationally while attending the National Youth Science Week in South Africa. Each year of participation was vastly different to the one before, and each time taught me something about myself and about others. I am forever grateful for the opportunity.

The NYSF was really the defining factor that transformed me from an introverted nerd at high school, to an outgoing introvert who is proud to be called a nerd

Stuart McKelvie

The NYSF is one of the most cleverly structured programs that I know of in that it combines science with personal development in a two-week furnace of self-discovery, intense friendship building, cutting-edge science experiences and sleep deprivation, expertly moulded by an incredible office staff and beaten into shape by crazy staffies.

The NYSF was really the defining factor that transformed me from an introverted nerd at high school, to an outgoing introvert who is proud to be called a nerd. I love just how easy it was to have in-depth conversations with other students, and it is this feeling of comfort around one another which allows such strong bonds of friendship to form in a short period of time.

Despite a curiosity for many things science-related, I actually decided to pursue Business and Accounting at Bond University on the Gold Coast simply for the reason that I could finish a four year degree in two and a half years; I received a partial scholarship and I was eager to be an adult and make my mark on the world.

one thing I do know is that my time at university would have been vastly different had I not participated in the NYSF

Now that I’ve finished my degree as well as a year in the workforce as an accountant at KPMG, I sometimes wonder what I missed out on by not pursuing a science-related degree. I don’t regret my decision to study at Bond University as I had an absolutely incredible time and I highly recommend it to anyone, but one thing I do know is that my time at university would have been vastly different had I not participated in the NYSF. There is always the option to continue further studies in a science/technology field – because that’s another thing I learned at the NYSF – we can keep making choices and keep learning.